Hamrick wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League event on Lake Norman

TERRELL, N.C. – Boater Scott Hamrick of Denver, N.C., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division tournament on Lake Norman Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 17 pounds, 4 ounces. The victory earned Hamrick $4,352 plus a Ranger bonus of $768 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Fort Loudin-Tellico Lakes Regional Championship in Lenoir City, Tenn., Oct. 18-20, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

Hamrick fish a crankbait and Rapala Shad Rap near rocks in Davidson Creek to catch his limit.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Dustin Clontz of Albemarle, N.C., (five bass, 15-5, $2,561); Chuck Douthit of Mooresville, N.C., (five bass, 14-13, $1,705); Rusty White of Rock Hill, S.C., (five bass, 14-10, $1,195) and Lee Williams of Durham, N.C., (five bass, 14-3, $1,024).

Hamrick took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $790 for a 5-pound, 8-ounce bass.

Bryan Lewis of West Jefferson, N.C., earned $2,561 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 10 pounds, 4 ounces that he caught while fishing a Shad Rap targeting stumps and rocky points.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are James Carriker of Badin, N.C., (four bass, 9-11, $1,280); George Hirapetian of Charlotte, N.C., (five bass, 9-1, $854); Charles Stroud of Boiling Springs, N.C., (four bass, 8-9, $598) and Robert Parrish of Albemarle, N.C., (five bass, 8-4, $512).

Brian Adams of Fayetteville, N.C., earned $395 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 5-pound, 8-ounce bass.

The North Carolina Division’s next event will be March 31 on Lake Gaston in Bracy, Va., followed by a tournament May 19 on Jordan Lake in Apex, N.C. The division’s fourth event will be held June 16 on High Rock in Salisbury, N.C., and the final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 8-9 on Kerr Lake in Henderson, N.C.

Following the end of regular-season competition, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on year-end points standings in the division will advance to the no-entry-fee Fort Loudin-Tellico Lakes Regional Championship where they will compete against top qualifiers from three other BFL divisions. At the Regional Championship boaters will fish for a new Ranger boat and Chevy truck and co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger boat. The top six boaters and top six co-anglers at the Regional Championship will also advance to the 2008 All-American presented by Chevy. With a total purse of $1 million, a potential $140,000 cash prize going to the winning boater and as much as $70,000 going to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in bass fishing. The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American also advance to the no-entry-fee $2 million 2008 Forrest Wood Cup. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the sport’s biggest championship.

The $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 28 divisions nationwide. In BFL competition, boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired. Boaters supply the boat and fish from the front deck against other boaters while co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits will offer combined purses of nearly $43 million through 238 events in 2007.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world’s leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.